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Choral Synagogue (Vilnius)

Orthodox synagogue in Vilnius, Lithuania

Field	Value
name	Choral Synagogue of Vilnius
native_name
image	Vilniaus sinagoga.jpg
image_upright	1.4
caption	The synagogue in 2008
religious_affiliation	Orthodox Judaism
rite	Nusach Ashkenaz
festival
organisational_status
functional_status	Active
location	39 Pylimo Street, Vilnius' Old Town, Vilnius, Vilnius County
country	Lithuania
map_type	Lithuania Vilnius
map_size	250
map_relief	1
map_caption	Location of the synagogue in Vilnius
coordinates
architect
architecture_type	Synagogue architecture
architecture_style
established	1847 (as a congregation)
groundbreaking	1902
year_completed	1903
materials	Brick
elevation_m
module
footnotes

The Choral Synagogue of Vilnius (), officially, Taharat Ha-Kodesh Choral Synagogue in Vilnius, is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 39 Pylimo Street (originally Zawalna Street), in the Old Town of Vilnius, in the Vilnius County of Lithuania.

Designed by Daniel Rosenhaus and Aleksejus Polozovas in an eclectic combination of the Romanesque Revival and Moorish Revival styles, the building was completed in 1903.

The Choral Synagogue is the only synagogue in Vilnius that is in use. All other synagogues were completely destroyed or partly desecrated during World War II, when Lithuania was occupied by Nazi Germany, and by the Soviet authorities after the war.

History

It is the only active synagogue that survived both the Holocaust and Soviet rule in Vilnius, that once had over 100 synagogues. Despite practising in the Orthodox Ashkenazi rite, the synagogue was built in the traditions of a community that practised Reform Judaism.

The exterior of this unusual, very attractive Moorish-styled synagogue features two-tone brick, used to create horizontal lines in the façade. There are three arches above the entrance with a large arch above it all, featuring stained glass windows below the arch and interesting moldings highlighting the arch and the façade above it. Stained glass windows with intricate Moorish detailing are featured on towers on either side of the entrance. Below the roofline, repeated Moorish motifs are incorporated into the molding to stunning effect. Above the pitch of the roof rests two tablets, featuring the Ten Commandments inscribed in Hebrew. According to one source, the synagogue was not attractive:

During the Soviet occupation the synagogue was nationalised and the building was turned into a metal factory, with subsequent considerable damage as a result of this use. The building was restored in 2010 and opened again as a synagogue shortly thereafter. International donations and a small community of Jews in Vilnius support the synagogue. The synagogue holds services and is open to visitors.

In 2019, the synagogue along with the Jewish community headquarters was temporarily closed due to threats from right-wing groups. The decision coincided with a rise in antisemitic rhetoric related to public debate about honoring Lithuanian collaborators.

Gallery

'Choral Synagogue' Vilnius - Flickr - FaceMePLS.jpg|Synagogue interior 8 Vilnius- Synagogue Chorale-DSC05176.JPG|Synagogue interior 8 Vilnius- Synagogue Chorale-DSC05178.JPG|Synagogue interior 1916 Vilniaus choral Synagoge adj.jpg|Synagogue in 1916 Vilna synagogue.jpg|A Yiddish flag on the synagogue's fence

References

(n.d.). "Taharat Ha-Kodesh Choral Synagogue in Vilnius". Foundation for Jewish Heritage and the [[Center for Jewish Art]] at the [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]].
"Restoration of the Roof and Attic of Vilnius Choral Synagogue". [[World Monuments Fund]].
"The Choral Synagogue of Vilnius". The Times of Israel.
Kim, Lucian. (October 16, 2018). "Excavation Of Lithuania's Great Synagogue Highlights A 'Painful Page' From History".
(n.d.). "VILNIUS CHORAL SYNAGOGUE". Open House Europe.
(2024). "Choral Taharat Ha Kodesh". Synagogues360.
(2017). "Vilnius: New choral synagogue". [[POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews]].
(August 11, 2019). "Lithuanian community reopens Vilnius shul days after contested closure". [[Times of Israel]].
Liphshiz, Cnaan. (August 9, 2019). "Lithuanian Jews reopen Vilnius synagogue 2 days after contested closure".

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1847-establishments-in-lithuania 20th-century-synagogues-in-lithuania 21st-century-attacks-on-jewish-institutions ashkenazi-jewish-culture-in-lithuania ashkenazi-synagogues eclectic-architecture jewish-organizations-established-in-1847 moorish-revival-architecture-in-lithuania moorish-revival-synagogues orthodox-synagogues-in-lithuania romanesque-revival-synagogues synagogues-in-vilnius synagogues-completed-in-1903

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